HARTFORD -- In the first year in which a state law required school districts to report bullying, 1,431 incidents have been documented statewide, according to data the state released to Hearst Connecticut Newspapers.

The numbers, broken down by district and school, take into account all incidents in the 2012-13 school year in which an investigation was conducted and active bullying was concluded to have occurred, said John Frassinelli, a bureau chief with the state Department of Education, whose duties include school culture and climate.

"We know that different schools and districts look at incidents of bullying in different ways," Frassinelli said. "Some may be more inclined to label incidents in a way that increases their numbers and others may have higher thresholds. Zero is certainly the goal, and schools are working very hard to get to zero."

But, he said, the bullying incident report will provide insight as the education department works with school districts to ensure reports are accurate and school climate plans are effective.

The data will be included in a report to the state Legislature next month.

Data for the 2012-13 school year show that the most incidents of bullying -- 86 -- were reported across the Connecticut Technical High School system, followed by Hartford at 71, New Haven at 74 and Bridgeport at 60. Milford and Stratford both reported 22 incidents; Shelton 13, Fairfield, 12 and Trumbull, seven. Achievement First Bridgeport, a state-funded charter school, also made the list, reporting 14 cases of bullying.

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State definition of bullying"Repeated written, oral, and electronic communications by one or more students directed at or referring to another student and physical acts and gestures by one or more students that are repeatedly directed against another student and that cause the student physical or emotional harm or damage his or her property, put the student in reasonable fear of harm or property damage, create a hostile school environment for the student, infringe on the student's rights at school, or substantially disrupt the education process or a school's orderly operation."

Verified bullying, five or more incidentsBridgeport Achievement First 14Bridgeport 60State Technical High School system 86Fairfield 12Milford 22Shelton 13Stamford 13Stratford 22Trumbull 7

Most school districts in the Danbury area reported fewer than a dozen incidents of bullying. Stamford recorded 13 incidents last year. And in Greenwich, where this fall a bullying incident reportedly led to a freshman's suicide, there were 10 incidents reported for the 2012-13 school year.

Another 80 districts had five or fewer verified incidents. In those cases, the state did not list the number of reports, to prevent identification of students involved.

Since July, Dunbar, a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school, has been managed by FUSE, a Hartford-based company that also manages charter schools. Troy Monroe, academic director for FUSE, said he expects Dunbar's numbers for 2013-14 to go down, because a proactive system is in place to improve student behavior.

"The key will be, over time, getting to know the population, and when you know the students, you can get to the heart of issues quicker," Monroe said.

Under the law, which was passed in 2011, bullying complaints have to be investigated and documented. School employees must report bullying and share findings with parents of the bully and victim. School districts must have a school climate coordinator on staff and establish safe school climate committees.

The law also sets deadlines for school employees to report bullying. The state proscribes how investigations are conducted, and draws a distinction between ongoing and recurring acts -- bullying -- and isolated, mean-spirited behavior -- not bullying.

Frassinelli said the incidents include both in-school bullying and outside bullying that impacts the school day, including bullying through the use of the Internet or other electronic devises.

Don Perras, a classroom management consultant who works with a number of urban school districts, including Bridgeport, said to make the numbers go down, schools need to expand their investment in training students in appropriate social behaviors and in steps to correct and counsel offenders.

"I can appreciate having an on-site investigator to collect data, but they must have complete authority to conduct the task, without pressure," Perras said.

In Danbury, a school district with 11,000 students and eight schools, the city reported six incidents of bullying. Danbury's school staffs are working to reduce bullying with a range of initiatives like conflict resolution programs and peer supervisions, Superintendent Sal Pascarella said. The district now has a social worker in every school to help parents and students address bullying and other troubling behaviors.

"We want them to reach out to families and kids to settle their disputes," Pascarella said. "Six (incidents) are too much. But principals are taking it very seriously, so the students' behavior doesn't progress, that it doesn't become the norm for the way they act."